Author, actor, host, travel expert and entrepreneur Michael Gordon Bennett was born January 1958, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was born in the BC era (before casinos) when the town was famous for its nightlife, the Boardwalk, beaches, the Miss America Pageant, boxing and the world famous board game Monopoly.
Michael left AC a year after his birth when his father joined the United States Air Force. As a brat, Michael lived in New Hampshire, Spain, Maine, Florida and Colorado. Two years after high school, Michael joined the Air Force as a computer systems analyst with tours of duty in Panama City, Florida and San Antonio, Texas, plus countless temporary duty assignments, including a trip to South Korea.
After military service he dabbled in the acting world to pay his college tuition and support his young son. Michael appeared in numerous commercials, had a short arc on a soap opera, hosted a travel show and appeared in several movies.
Finally, 17 years after high school graduation, he earned that elusive Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from California State University Northridge. Earning his degree fulfilled a dream decades in the making.
After college, he landed positions in radio and television news in Los Angeles with stints at KNX Radio and KCOP television. Michael was also an advertising sales executive at the Los Angeles Daily News.
After three years in television news, the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself when he became Senior Producer for the Travel Channel. He has now been involved in travel and tourism for nearly two decades, and is arguably the foremost African American travel expert. His stories have appeared in numerous national and travel trade publications. He speaks at travel trade shows and provides marketing expertise to destinations worldwide.
Michael was appointed to the marketing/advisory committee for BrandUSA, the public/private partnership signed into law by President Barack Obama as part of the Travel Promotion Act, in 2010. The mission of BrandUSA is to promote the United States as an international travel destination. In addition, he was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Travel Professionals of Color.
Michael is currently working on an exciting new venture in travel and tourism. Stay tuned for future announcements.
Never too far away from his love for Hollywood, Michael has consulted on numerous film and television projects, with a few of his own in various stages of development under his company banner Bennett Global Entertainment (BGE).
7-10 Split: My Journey as America’s Whitest Black Kid is a memoir of his experience growing up in a racially polarized world he knew little about. His story is chalked full of life experiences that collectively gives him a unique perspective on the destructive forces of America’s original sin, and the
strength of the human spirit to overcome those evil forces through love and compassion for our fellow man.
“I realized through writing my memoir I have a love for the written word. Seeing my words in print is exhilarating. I have several more books in the offing that will be a lot more challenging than my memoir, and I can’t wait to get started.”
Later this year he will release his second book Rusty's War: Battle for the Mind, the heartwrenching story of his mother's battle with Alzheimer's.
To learn more about Michael go to his website www.michaelgordonbennett.com.